The mongols were nomadic people who grazed their horses and sheep on the steppes. These are vast, treeless plains of Central Asia.

Genghis Khan imposed strict military discipline and demands absolute loyalty. He had highly trained armies had some of the most skilled horsemen in the world.

When the Mongols turned on China, they encountered the problem of attacking the cities because of the wall. Military experts taught them to use cannons and other new weapons.

Soon after this, the Mongols and Chinese launched missiles against each other. After this the use of cannons in warfare spread westward to Europe.

For the next 150 years after Genghis Khan died his heirs dominated much of Asia. Once the conquest was completed, the Mongols were not oppressive rulers. They allowed people to live as they did before, but they had to regularly paid tribute to the Mongols.

In the 1200s and 1300s Genghis Khan’s sons and grandsons established peace and order within their domains. Political stability set the stage for economic growth. The mongols now controlled the Silk Road. Under the protection of the mongols trade flourished across Eurasia.

Cultural exchange increased when foods, tools, inventions, and ideas started to spread along the protected trade routes. The use of gunpowder moved westward into Europe.

Even though Genghis Khan subdued northern China, the Mongols need 70 more years to conquer the south. In 1279 Genghis Khan’s grandson topped the last Song emperor.

Kublai Khan tried to prevent the Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese civilization as others had been. He said that only Mongols could serve in the military. He also reserved the highest government jobs for Mongols or other non-Chinese officials who he employed.

Kublai adopted a Chinese name for his dynasty, the Yuan. He also had Arab architects design his palace. Kublai rebuilt and extended the Grand Canal to his new capital. This allowed for rice and other goods to be shipped to him easier.

Marco Polo was one of the visitors that came to China during the Yuan dynasty. He reported that the city of Hangzhou was 10 to 12 times the size of Venice.

Later, in 1294 the Yuan dynasty declined after the death of Kublai Khan. Many Chinese didn’t like the foreign Mongol rulers. Heavy taxes, corruptions, and natural disasters led to frequent uprisings. Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant leader forged a rebel army that toppled the Mongols and pushed them back beyond the Great Wall.